Reconstructing the Quseiri Arabic Documents(RQAD)

Summary of the Project

The RQAD project is designed to study a number of Arabic documents (paper
fragments, coins and an ostrich eggshell) unearthed by the University of
Southampton archaeological team at the harbour of Quseir al-Qadim on the
Egyptian Red Sea Coast (1999-2003) and to evaluate the Arabic texts combined
with archaeological inquiry. A number of the documents have been deciphered and
translated with a commentary; they reveal a network of commercial and pilgrim
activities at Quseir but also trade links with the hinterland and the Red Sea.
Archaeological context suggests that these fragments date from the late Ayyubid
to the Mamluk Islamic periods (13th – 15th centuries) while the gold and silver
coins are from 12th to 13th centuries, some of North African provenance. To
appreciate the socio-historical value of the documentary material our study
includes contemporary Arabic historical and literary sources which shed light
on the global Islamic maritime trade. Our findings show a wealth of information
which will contribute to a fuller picture not only of Quseir but the Red Sea as
a whole. On publication of different aspects of this project, researchers would
be able to use the material and comparative work will be possible in subsequent
research.

The Significance of RQAD

The significance of this project is the information on the Arabic documents,
they yield on the harbour town activities of Quseir al-Qadim, trade and
pilgrimage. This wealth of information is corroborated with the Southampton
archaeological findings, such as the harbour site, the Islamic necropolis and
artefacts: textiles, leather, timber, glass, beads, seeds etc. Our knowledge on
the inhabitants of Quseir al-Qadim is now enhanced though the readings of the
paper fragments and coins and together with the excavated site of the
necropolis we have a better understanding of the reasons for the death of the
occupants and burial practices. One significant contribution is the study of
the Arabic writing on the ostrich egg which raises important questions as to
Islamic burial practices, the spiritual and philosophical thinking of the
symbol of death and life thereafter. All this now provides a fuller picture not
only of Quseir al-Qadim but the Red Sea as a whole – an area greatly
understudied. The study offers newer data on the economic, social and cultural
history of Ayyubid and Mamluk Egypt; reinforces the study conducted by the
Chicago and Southampton research teams, moreover it offers a new interpretation
of trade links from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean.

Project Hosts and Partners

The RQAD project is part of the Department of Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies
and the Centre for Mediterranean Studies.